Stretching Our Faith in the Giraffe Class

Monday, December 14, 2015

It may feel like fall outside, but the Giraffes are walking in a winter wonderland! We are having fun learning about the real reason for the season: Jesus! Jesus was born in a stable (or the kids might call it a barn) surrounded by animals. This is very interesting because Jesus is a King! Jesus is a very special King who cares about everyone! Next week we will be learning about how Jesus had visitors after he was born.

Fun at Home

Journey to Bethlehem:

Help children relate to the nativity story by role playing the journey to the manger . Set up a stable area with a star above the manger (a fort made of pillows will work) and set up paper stars for the child to follow around the house until they reach the baby!

Check out some of the activities we did this week!

We used fruit-loops to count nine ornaments on our Christmas trees.

Mr. Mark read us a story after Jesus time!

The students got to make their own nativity sets!

It might not be snowy outside, but we pretended it was snowy

in the classroom with some flour sensory exploration.

The students love pretending they are elves at the North Pole.

The teachers' favorite part was seeing them make toys for

each other and give each other presents.

We made snowflake ornaments using marshmallows and glue.

Ring around the rosy...

We talked about shapes as we matched ornaments to their shape on the tree.

One of our friends made a ladder with dominoes!

We made letter P penguins!

We practiced spelling our names on ornaments!

Until next time - Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 7, 2015

December has just begun and it is already SNOW much fun! The Giraffes are learning about how at Christmas we are celebrating Jesus' Birthday, as well as exploring different elements of winter.

Fun At Home

The students are getting a lot better at recognizing and spelling their names. Here's an easy way to practice spelling at home!

Use small pieces of paper or index cards and mix up the letters of their name. (side note: the more exciting the paper is the more interested the child is likely to be... look for colorful paper or let the child add stickers)
See if they can put the letters back in order. They might need help, but try not to give them the answer right away.
If they ask for help or get frustrated help them think about the letter sounds. Can they associate which letter is next by listening to the sound? If that does not work, provide a visual of the correct way to spell their name so that they can use it as a guide.
After they feel successful with guidance, encourage them to try it by themselves. A few minutes practicing their names daily and they will have it in no time.

Once they know their name, you can add family members and their favorite things (pets, toys, hobbies). If the words are meaningful to the child, they will be more interested in learning about it. If your child is not interested in spelling yet, that is okay. This is an advanced skill that can take time to develop. We want it to be fun and exciting, not a punishment.

Take a look at what we were up to last week!

The students enjoyed putting together our felt snowman (which they named Olaf).

This is a great way to practice parts of the body (especially the face),

as well as, sequencing biggest to smallest.

Students reviewed how to make the number 3 using stickers.

Our letter of the week was O!

The students made Letter O Octopuses.

This month we are exploring different elements of winter.

The students had fun making "ice" paintings by putting

epsom salt on top of glue.

We are starting to introduce marker procedures.

The students LOVE writing on the whiteboard.

Some days they spent 20 minutes drawing on it!

The students practiced drawing shapes on the light box.

They really enjoyed this activity!

If you want to make a lightbox at home, take a clear tub,

put a strong flashlight underneath (cellphone flashlights work too)

and turn down the lights.

Draw or print shapes on a piece of paper and put it on top of the tub.

Put a clear piece of paper over the shapes you want the students to draw

and watch them trace!

Working together is fun!

The class made a manger for our pretend baby Jesus!

We even got out farm animal toys to watch over him.

We love seeing students read to each other!

Students tore paper into little pieces and traced the first letter of their name.

Students decorated snowflakes with Jell-O powder.

The powder turned blue when it touched the glue!

We explored the feel of "snowy" flour.

The students tried tracing shapes and letters in it.

We used stamps to trace the letter O!

This week we learned that Jesus came to Earth as a baby.

He had a mommy (Mary) and daddy (God).

On Earth, Joseph was a daddy to Jesus as well.

Talk to you later!

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for my students and families that make coming to school such a blessing each morning! This week the students enjoyed a special Thanksgiving lunch with family and friends, as well as, talk about what we are thankful for this year.

Fun at Home
Practicing how to spell your name can be fun! In the classroom we have letters hung on the wall at a height that the students can interact with easily. The students enjoy finding the letters of their name! If you have some letter flashcards at home, you could tape them to the wall or spread them out on the floor and help your child spell their name! Call out each letter of their name in order and let the child find the letters. Students take a great deal of pride in their names - which makes this a very rewarding activity for them. A couple of students are almost able to do this independently, but do not be discouraged if your child needs guidance. It may take months for students to learn how to spell their name.

Take a look at our week!

We had a wonderful turnout at the Thanksgiving Feast!